Learning to play the saxophone (Hello Saxophone)

More at: http://www.hellosaxophone.com Learning to play the saxophone is fun! This movie is a demo of the many instructional video's that are included in:"Hello Saxophone (http://www.hellosaxophone.com) The easy starters guide to the saxophone.

For more info visit: http://www.HelloSaxophone.com

The first thing to do is to put the mouthpiece up against the upper front teeth in your mouth. Put your upper teeth about halfway on top of the mouthpiece (see the picture below). Its important that you dont push your teeth on the sax! but to push the sax up against your teeth! You do this by pushing the sax forward very slightly with your left thumb and by making sure the length of the neck strap is right. Let the horn rest comfortably against your belly. When you have the mouthpiece in your mouth, push the top of the saxophone away from you gently with your left thumb. You will feel some pressure on your upper teeth. The saxophone becomes sort of stuck between your thumbs and your upper teeth. This will leave your lower jaw completely free so you can breathe in easily without the sax bumbling about in your mouth. This also allows you to control the vibrations of the reed very precisely.

Put your lower lip against the reed (make sure your lower teeth dont touch the reed). Curl your lower lip a little like you would if you were biting your lip or trying to say the B in the word baby very clearly so it becomes like a cushion between your lower teeth and the reed.

Tthe key to producing good sound is good breathing. Pretend youre laughing very hard for a second and feel what your belly does when you go HA HA HA. As if your were laughing. We feel our bellys contracting very powerfully, pushing al the air out of our longs (which is why we tend to get out of breath when we get the giggles). When youre playing the sax you should be very aware that the strength of your breath comes from these same muscles. We call this the Breath support. This is the power we need to create strong and steady sounding tones. So always be very aware of using this when you play. Now stand up!(because this makes breathing a lot easier) put force on your lips from all sides, keep your cheeks firm and straight, Push buttons number 2,3,4 down, Breathe in deeply and blow out into the saxophone
It can take a while before you succeed! This is completely normal! Dont worry if it takes you an hour or more to get one nice steady tone out of the sax. Just keep at it until you feel comfortable and can make a steady tone. Keep practicing this with just one note until you really feel very comfortable and are producing a nice steady tone.

For more info visit: http://www.HelloSaxophone.com

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[TjeerdU]

Hello. I'm really looking into getting an sax and learning how to play it, because I always wanted to do it but just never did. You (or any other viewers) got any tips for buying an Sax, like what Sax to start with etc? I'm gonna buy one at the end of the month and grab your book along with it!

[HelloSaxophone]

@TjeerdU Hi Tjeerd. Cool to hear you're going to play the sax. It really doesn't matter so much what type of sax you chose. But in general. The more expensive ones are far better then the cheap ones. Don't be afraid to invest a good amount into a sax if you can afford it. Otherwise just buy what you can and it will be fine for at least the next two years or so.

Most people start on an Alto sax, but for guys I actually recommend starting on a tenor.

[sxxymango]

I have no music background, and a beginner to sax. I am looking for an iphone app that's portable and intuitive.... anyone tried the 'Ultimate Sax' app for iphone?? I got some free apps but they are very hard to understand.....

[HelloSaxophone]

@sxxymango It's a good app, but you need quite a bit of basic understanding of the sax before you can really use any app successfully. Good luck with your search! and have fun playing!

[alee5656]

i have tenor do it make different.

[HelloSaxophone]

@alee5656 Nope. same thing. Just a matter of really taking some time to find the right amount of power. Your lips should be very relaxed, and the air power should all come from your belly. Beginners very often compensate for having low air power, by tightening up their lips. It help you get the note out at first, but in the long run, you teach yourself a bad habit.

Good luck!

[dazzelya]

Thanks, started the curved soprano today. I had this exact problem :p. Now off to do some more scales!

[dominatus84]

You sound totally dutch :)

Ik ga ook weer even oefenen!

[Cuttermuscle]

Chuck Norris would eat that

[TheBlurr12]

@bromixsr Thank you this really helped!!!!

[bromixsr]

@TheBlurr12 It's considered proper form to keep your cheeks in and it helps with buzz, yes. That comes with practice and time, playing in front of a mirror helps alot. That being said it, there are many great players who don't follow the rule. It comes down to whatever works for the individual..

[TheBlurr12]

Do you have to keep your cheeks in my teacher said you have to but i can't seem to get the hang of it? Any tips on how to keep them in?

[boulderdsvo]

That's good advice, and all I can add is:

PUT DOWN THE DUCKIE!

[TjeerdU]

@TjeerdU First gonna rent one for 3 months to see if it's really what I want. Any tips on what to rent for an starter?